School’s been out for a few weeks now and you’ve probably heard your kids say “I’m bored” about 2,581 times.

We tried out some new and easy ideas to keep the kids entertained and enjoying their summer break in our Pinterest “Hit” or “Miss” series.

We gathered up a few guinea pigs: Jacki’s daughter, Hannah, Amy’s daughters, Ailey and Kaiya, our nieces, Jaden and Zoe, and a cousin’s daughter, Daycee.

Both activities were fun and simple but both had some #PinterestFail elements.

Spray Sidewalk Chalk fun with cousins

Spray Sidewalk Chalk

The idea for spray sidewalk chalk comes from GrowingAJeweledRose.com. “Liquid chalk makes a great spray paint for kids and is sure to keep them busy for a good, long time. The recipe is super easy, easily washes off of surfaces and the spray bottles are also great for fine motor development.”

Making the spray chalk was no problem and it easily washes off the sidewalk and other outdoor surfaces. Her recipe calls for food coloring or washable watercolors. She warned the food coloring may tinge clothing, so she advised to wear play clothes or use the washable watercolors.

Since we did this activity at a family reunion, we opted for the washable watercolors. The #PinterestFail part came because there wasn’t enough color added in each squirt bottle so their creations ended up looking all white. Try adding more than just a “few drops” if you choose the washable watercolors, like maybe 10 or even more drops.

We couldn’t find the watercolors locally but found them on Amazon – Sargent Art Watercolor Magic – which comes in a pack of 10 colors.

The Spray Sidewalk Chalk was a bit of a #PinterestFail but still fun for the cousins.

Materials:

Spray bottles

Corn Starch

Baking soda

Food coloring or washable watercolors

Optional: if you want to make the spray chalk art erupt, you will also want a few squirt bottles of vinegar (we didn’t try this but it sounds fun).

Directions:

Fill the spray bottles 1/3 of the way with a baking soda and corn starch mixture, using roughly equal amounts of both ingredients. Add a few drops of food coloring or washable watercolors and then fill the bottles with very warm water.

Use a butter knife to stir the mixture as best you can and then place the spray spouts on and shake the bottles really well.

You will want to shake the bottles once more just before play, as some of the corn starch will settle at the bottom of the bottle.

These Glow in the Dark Bubbles were a hit with the cousins.

Glow-in-the-Dark Bubbles

This seems like a very simple activity from TheIdeaRoom.net. And it could and should be. But we had a couple of problems.

When we went to break the glow sticks to pour the liquid into the bottles of bubbles, we realized the glow sticks we purchased had small glass vials inside the plastic tube. These were the only ones at our local Wal-Mart.

So in trying to break or cut the glass vials, we ended up with broken shards of glass everywhere. We were still able to get the liquid into the bottles so it all worked out okay.

The bottles lit up with the glowing liquid which was fun to see on a summer’s night. However, when the girls blew, the bubbles themselves didn’t glow very much. They had fun with their bright bottles, so all in all, it was a fun and successful activity. Next time, we’ll try to find different glow sticks to use.

Materials:

Glow sticks

Bubbles

Directions:

Break or cut open glow sticks. Pour contents into the bottle of bubbles. Shake well and have fun.